Elevated Risk Of Sleep Apnea Among Users Of Recreational Drug Ecstasy

A new-fangled study indicates that users of the recreational drug ecstasy could be placing themselves at a risk of developing sleep apnea.

The lead author of the study, Una McCann, MD, from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore states that ecstasy has additionally been associated with cognitive problems.

An approximate fifteen million people from the U.S. are afflicted with sleep apnea – a prevalent condition that leads to hiatus in breathing while asleep.

McCann and associates’ study printed in the 2nd December online edition of ‘Neurology’ – the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Users of Ecstasy at 8 times the Risk of developing Sleep Apnea

The study involved 71 individuals in good health that were recreational ecstasy users (had been on ecstasy no less than twenty-five times, however had not used the drug for fourteen days before the study), and 62 healthy, non-users of ecstasy. All the candidates were observed during the entire night time in a sleep laboratory.

The researchers stated that they detected an eight times heightened risk of developing apnea or hypoapnea or low breathing episodes among ecstasy users when asleep as compared to those that didn’t utilise the drug. They additionally explicated that the rate of mild apnea was analogous in both the ecstasy users and those in the control group, however exclusively ecstasy users exhibited moderate or severe levels of apnea (detection of 8 cases of moderate ranging apnea and one severe apnea case).

The researchers additionally mentioned that the study indicates that the frequency of use of ecstasy was directly proportional to the rate of sleep apnea. Being obese is an identified risk factor for sleep apnea, and the study reveals that the risk of apnea was more among ecstasy users as compared to those who were overweight.

During the course of the news release, McCann stated that ecstasy users need to be aware of the dangerous repercussions this drug has on the brain and could lead to instantaneous and grave problems like sleep apnea. Sleep apnea by itself is perilous, but it could additionally disrupt an individual thinking process as unremitting sleep disorder has been identified to have an undesirable outcome on the proper functioning of an individual during the day times.

Brain Chemical Serotonin considerably affected due to Ecstasy

Simply stated ecstasy is a selective brain serotonin neurotoxin, and sleep apnea could be outcome of this effect, the scientists indicate.

The authors have mentioned that brain serotonin neurotoxins are responsible for modulating sleep and respiratory patterns via an array of means.

Serotonin is a chemical which assists in relaying signals in between cells and is engaged in an assortment of psychological and other bodily tasks.

The scientists have stated that ecstasy appears to be a risk factor for developing sleep apnea among healthy youngsters irrespective of what their age, sex, race and weight.

The use of ecstasy and sleep apnea has both touched pandemic proportions in the United States that has been a major cause of worry among researchers and doctors. The scientists have cautioned that ecstasy also called as MDMA has a damaging effect on the brains leading to sleep apnea and other problems and all youngsters need to be warned about this.